


The Dark Ritual

by Fenchurch87



Series: The Way of the Warden [12]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 11:37:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15387948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fenchurch87/pseuds/Fenchurch87
Summary: The night before the battle with the Archdemon, Solona Amell and Alistair face a terrible choice. Originally written in response to a writing prompt on /r/dragonage.





	The Dark Ritual

_The Grey Warden who kills the Archdemon dies._ Riordan's words repeated themselves over and over again in Alistair's head. The senior Warden had said that he would try to land the killing blow, but somehow Alistair knew that he would fail. Solona knew it too, judging by the stricken look on her face. He reached for her hand, and she took it without a word, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze as they walked down the corridor towards their bedroom. _What do we do now?_

Solona opened the bedroom door, and he followed her inside, stopping abruptly when he realised that they weren't alone.

“Do not be alarmed. It is only I.” Morrigan turned to face them, her yellow eyes seeming to glow in the dim light of the bedroom. “We must speak, Solona.”

“This isn't a good time, Morrigan.” Solona sounded every bit as weary as Alistair felt.

“I have not come to waste your time with trivialities. This is a matter of much urgency. It cannot wait.” Morrigan was nervous, he realised. There was a slight tremor in her voice, and her hands twitched anxiously as she spoke. She was so on edge that she hadn't even glared at him once since he'd entered the room.

“Alright.” Solona gave him an apologetic look, and he nodded and left the room.

He paced up and down the hall as he waited, his mind racing. _There has to be another way._ That was what Solona had said when it looked like they would have to kill Connor, and again when he thought he would have to become King. She had been right both times. There would be another way this time too, and Solona would find it. He tried to hold on to that tiny sliver of hope.

When Morrigan finally left the room, she seemed even more agitated than before. If Alistair hadn't known better, he would have said that she was close to tears. “Is everything all right?” he asked, and then immediately regretted it as she gave him her fiercest scowl. _There she is. There's the Morrigan we all know and love._

He went back into the bedroom and found Solona lying on the bed, facing away from him. “What did Morrigan want?” She didn't answer, so he walked around the bed and knelt on the floor in front of her.

She was staring at the rose he'd given her all those months ago, and the look on her face was like a knife through his heart. The joy and hope were gone from her eyes, and all he could see was defeat. _She's given up._ The realisation came as a shock to him. Solona never gave in. She was the strongest person he knew, the one who would never stop fighting no matter what. And now he had to be the strong one.

“Don't worry,” he said, speaking with a confidence that he didn't feel. “We'll find another way. We always do.”

“There is another way.” Solona's voice was flat and lifeless. “Morrigan told me.”

“Then it'll be alright!” He was so overcome with relief that he forgot all about the pain he'd seen in Solona's eyes. “I could kiss Morrigan!”

Solona sat up, and to Alistair's horror he saw a tear trickle down her cheek. “I'm sorry,” he said quickly. “That was just a stupid joke. I don't really want to kiss Morrigan, you know that. You're the only woman I want to kiss. And do other things with, of course.”

That had been the wrong thing to say. The tears continued falling, and then Solona began to sob. Alistair wrapped his arms around her, and she buried his face in his shoulder while he stroked her hair and made soothing noises.

“So,” Alistair said when Solona had calmed down a little. “This other way?”

Solona sniffed. “You would have to take part in a ritual.”

“A ritual. Right. And this ritual involves blood magic, I assume?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. You're going to have to tell me a bit more here. What exactly would I have to do?”

Solona took a deep breath. “You and Morrigan would have to... have to...” She stopped and wiped her eyes. “You would have to sleep with her!” she blurted before bursting into sobs again.

_No no no no no!_

“Sleep with her?” How did his voice sound so calm? “How will that help?”

Solona couldn't look at him. “There will be a child.”

“What?!” he exploded. There it was. Now he sounded exactly how he felt.

“The Archdemon's soul will be transferred to the child instead.” Solona explained between sobs and sniffles. “The child will be left unharmed, but it will have the soul of an Old God.”

_Maker's breath!_ “That's the other way? I have to father an Old God child with Morrigan in some sort of sex rite?”

Solona nodded helplessly.

“Why can't it be you?” he found himself asking.

“Me? What do you mean?”

“Why can't it be you who takes part in the ritual?”

“I don't think I can have a baby with Morrigan, Alistair!” Solona snapped at him. He felt his cheeks start to redden.

“Not you and Morrigan. You and me. You're a mage, couldn't she teach you the magic? And I know we weren't exactly planning to have a child, but we could look after it. In between all the Grey Warden stuff. It would be alright, wouldn't it?”

Solona shook her head sadly. “I've never studied this area of magic. Morrigan said it would take years to learn even the basics.” She sighed. “She also doesn't know what would happen if two Grey Wardens completed the ritual. She said there would be too much risk of something going wrong.”

Of course Solona had already thought of that. “And what about Riordan?” Alistair thought he already knew what the answer would be, but he had to try.

“Riordan has had the taint for too long. The ritual wouldn't work with him.”

“Alright. Then I'll kill the Archdemon.” He didn't want to die, but he would not – could not – sleep with Morrigan. And the other alternative...

“You will do no such thing!” Solona glared at him, and he saw a little bit of fire return to her eyes. “I'm not losing you, Alistair. Not after everything we've been through.” She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I'll do it.”

“No!” He almost shouted the word. Just the idea of her sacrificing herself was enough to bring tears to his eyes. “I won't let you die! I won't!” His voice broke, and then the tears were falling down his cheeks. Solona put her arms around him, and for a while all they could do was hold each other and cry.

By the time they broke apart, he had made his decision. He took both Solona's hands in his and looked into her big dark eyes. “It's like this,” he began. “I can't bear the thought of losing you. But if you were determined to kill the Archdemon, I don't think I'd be able to stop you. And if you died, and I knew that I could have done something about it, well, I'd never be able to forgive myself.”

Solona gazed steadily back at him. “That's how I feel too.”

“Then we're agreed?”

She nodded and kissed him, a long lingering kiss that made him want to stay in her arms forever. But he couldn't. He pulled away and gently brushed her cheek with his fingertips.

“I love you,” he said. “Whatever happens, I will always love you.”

“I will always love you too.”

He gave her one last look and then walked to the door before his courage failed him.

_Maker forgive me for what I am about to do._

 


End file.
